Remote handle blockout for automobile door latch



S.-D. COCKBURN EI'AL Dec. 16, 1958 REMOTE HANDLE BLOCKOUT FOR AUTOMOBILEDOOR LATCH Filed Oct. 22, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 16, 1958 s, c c uET AL 2,864,639

REMOTE HANDLE BLOCKOUT FOR AUTOMOBILE DOOR LATCH Filed Oct. 22, 1956 2Sheets-Sheet 2 REMOTE HANDLE BLOCK-OUT FOR AUTOMOBILE DOOR LATCH StanleyD. Cockburn, Detroit, and Charles J. Griswold,

Jr., Oak Park, Mich., assignors to General Motors Corporation, Detroit,Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application October 22, 1956, SerialNo. 617,617

Claims. (Cl. 292-280) This invention relates to operating apparatus fora vehicle door, and more particularly to automobile door unlatchingmeans.

One feature of the invention is that it provides improved operatingapparatus for a vehicle door; another feature of the invention is thatit provides a safety device which permits the door to be closed andlatched properly when the inside remote handle is used as a doorpull-to; a further feature of the invention is that it provides ablocking member for blocking movement of the latch release member whenthe door is open so that the inside remote handle may be used as a doorpull-to without operating the latch release member; and still anotherfeature of the invention is that it provides actuating means engageablewith the latch striker and with the blocking member for moving theblocking member to its out-ofthe-way position when the door is closed.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description and from the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of an automobile in which theimproved'operating apparatus is incorporated in the rear door;

Fig. 2 is an isometric view of the rear door latch and a portion of thestriker portion of the door and body upon which the latch and strikerare mounted;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view similar to a portion of Fig. 2 with partsbroken away to show underlying structure; and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the parts in a differentposition.

In a commonly used type of automobile door latch, the latch bolt is inthe form of a rotatable gear which, when the door is closed, meshes withteeth on a striker carried on the automobile body. A detent holds thebolt against release movement to maintain the door in latched positionand a release lever on the latch frame is movable to disengage thedetent from the bolt and free the bolt for rotation so that the door canbe opened. The detent may be operated by an outside handle or pushbutton and by an inside remote handle. Often the inside handle is usedas a pull-to in closing the door. If, during this operation, the handleis inadvertently turned, the detent will be moved out of engagement withthe bolt and when the door reaches closed position there is no holdingmeans to maintain the door latched so that the door will bounce outeither to its safety latched position or a fully open position.

This invention provides a novel means for blocking the release memberwhen the door is open so that the inside remote handle may be used as apull-to without danger that the handle will be turned during doorclosing to permit the door to rebound.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, an automobiledesignated generally as has a front door 12 which is hingedly mounted inconventional manner at its front edge and which has a latch (not shown)adjacent its rear edge engageable with a striker mounted on the Statesatent ice center pillar 14 of the automobile. A rear door 16 is hingedlymounted at its front edge on the pillar 14 and carries near its rearedge a latch designated generally as 18 engageable with a striker whichis mounted on the automobile body and which is designated generally as20. The latch may be operated by an outside push button 22 carried in astationary handle 24 on the door. An inside remote turn handle 26 isconnected to the latch for operation from the inside of the automobileand a conventional type garnish molding locking button 28 is providedfor locking the door from the inside. The detailed construction of thelatch is shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. Since the latch alone forms no partof the present invention and. since the latch is completely described inthe copending.

application of James D. Leslie entitled, Rotary Bolt Door Latch, filedFebruary 13, 1955 as Serial No.

534,034, it will not again be completely described here and thedisclosure will be limited to the portions of the" latch which arenecessary to understand the invention claimed.

Referring to Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the striker is shown mounted on a bodypillar 30. The striker comprises a C-shaped body 32 having a pair oflatching teeth 34a and 34b, the outer one 34a being a safety latchingtooth and the inner one 34b being a primary latching tooth.

The latch has a frame comprising a body portion 36 which lies in theplane of the jamb face 37 of the door and which is adapted to be securedto the jamb face of the door by screws mounted in embossments 38. Aflange portion 49 of the frame projects at right angles from the bodyportion 36 in a plane parallel to and adjacent the inner panel 41 of thedoor. A rotatably mounted bolt 42 is carried on the frame body 36 bymeans of a stud 44 rotatably journaled in the frame body 36 androtatably supported at its outer end in a bolt housing 46 which projectsfrom the frame body 36 out through the jamb face 37 of the door.

On the opposite or inner side of the frame body 36 a Y cam member 48 ismounted on the stud 44. Both the bolt 42 and the cam 48 arenon-rotatabiy mountedonfthe stud, and as pointed out above, the studitself is rotatably mounted on the latch frame so that the bolt 42 andthe cam 48 turn as a unit. A detent 50 is pivotally mounted on the framebody 36 at 52 and the detent has a holding tooth 54 for engagementwith-a tooth of the cam 48.

out of engagement with the bolt to free the bolt for rota- The link 56has an elontion and unlatch the door. gated slot 58 through which a pin60 projects for guiding movement of the lower end of the link. The pinis carried by a bell crank 62 which may be pivoted to swing the lowerend of the link in a counterclockwise direction so that the lower edgeof the link bypasses the detent 5'0 upon sliding movement of the link.When the link is swung to the position just described, it is uncoupledfrom the detent and the door is locked.

The link 56 may be operated to pivot the detent away from the bolt bythe outside push button 22. The upper end of the link has a slot intowhich projects a turned tab 64 of an operating lever 66 which is pivotedon a stud 68 on the frame and the outer end of which is connected to arod 70 which extends up to a push button.

cm, permitting free rotation of the bolt so that the door can be opened.

For operation from inside the automobile, the handle 26, which ismounted in conventional manner for turning movement on the inner doorpanel 41,,i connected by a rod 72 to a release lever 74 whichispivotally mounted on a stud 76 on the latch frame. The lever 74 has anarm 74a which underlies an car 78 on a lever 80 which is pivotallymounted at 82 on the frame. The lever 80 has at its free end a notch 84into which the free end of the detent 50 is connected. When the insidehandle 26 is turned, the rod 72 is pulled to the right as the parts appear in the drawings, pivoting the release member 74 in a clockwisedirection to raise it arm 74a. This arm picks up the tab, 78 on thelever 80 and swings the lever 80in a counterclockwise direction todepress the free end of the detent and move the detent tooth 54 out ofengagement with the bolt cam.

.The latch illustrated also includes a locking structure which is notessential to the invention claimed herein. This locking structure aswell as other details of the structure and operation of the latch arefully described in application S. N. 534,034.

When the handle 26 is used to pull the door closed, it often happensthat the handle is inadvertently turned. This inadvertent turning of thehandle swings the detent out of engagement with thebolt cam, permittingfree rotation of the bolt. The door closes against a deformable weatherstrip and the rebound force may cause the door to bounce back at leastto its safety latched position and often beyond the safety latchedposition to an open position. In order to prevent inadvertent turningmovement of the inside handle 26 while still permitting this handle tobe used as a pull-to to close the door, apparatus is provided forblocking the release member 74 when the door is open.

Asubsidiary frame 90 is mounted on the jamb face of the door and ablocking lever member 92 is pivotally mounted at 94 on a right angularflange portion 96 of this subsidiary frame. As shown in the drawings,the blocking member 92 is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends. Onearm of the lever terminates in a turned abutment portion 98 and theother arm terminates in a notched offset portion 100. A relatively weakspring 102 is arranged tobias the blocking member 92 toward theout-of-the-way position illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 wherein the. turnedabutment 98 is out of the path of swing ng movement of the releasemember 74.

Actuating means on the door are engageable with the striker 20 and withthe blocking member 92 for moving the blocking member to its blockingposition (Fig. 4) when the door is open. This means comprises anactuating member 104 which is nonrctatably mounted outside the jamb faceof the door on a stud 106 journaled in the subframe 90 and projectingout through the jamb face 37 of the door. At its inner end the stud 106has nonrotatably mounted thereon a lever 108 which overlies the notchedoflfset portion 100 of the blocking member 92. A relatively strongspring 110 is connected between the lever 108 and the subframe 90 tobias the lever 108 in a clockwise direction, and swing the blockingmember 92 to its operative position illustrated in Fig. 4 wherein theabutment 98 lies in the path of movement of and in blocking relation tothe release member 74. Spring 110 is stronger than spring 102.

When the door is moved from its closed position as shown in Fig. 3 to apartially open position, as shown in Fig. 4, the actuating member 104and the lever 108 are swung by spring 110 in a clockwise direction andhold the blocking member 92 in its operative position in which pivotalmovement of the release member 74 is prevented. Thus when the door isopen the remote handle 26 may be used as a pull-to with no possibilitythat it can be turned tornov'e the detent away from the bolt. As thedoor nioves toward its closed position, the actuating member 104 engagesthe striker body 32. Continued closing movement of the door causespivotal movement of the actuating member 104 and lever 108, which swingas a unit in a counterclockwise direction. This raises the free end ofthe lever 108 and permits the relatively weak spring 102 to swing theblocking member 92 in a clockwise direction to its out-of-the-wayposition. Consequently, when the door is closed, the release member 74is not blocked and the inside handle may be turned to open the door. Assoon as the door swings open so that the blocking member 104 no longeris in engagement with the striker, the spring 110, which is strongerthan the spring 102, swings the members 104 and 108 to the position ofFig. 4, the free end of the member 108 picking up the offset portion ofthe blocking member 92 and swinging the blocking member 92 against theforce of the spring 102 to the blocking position shown so that theinside handle 26 may be used as a pull-to.

While we have shown and described one embodiment of our invention, it iscapable of many modifications. Changes, therefore, in the constructionand arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scopeof the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. Latching apparatus for a vehicle door, comprising: a striker mountedon the vehicle body; a latch on the door having a movable boltengageable with the striker and detent means for holding the boltagainst release movement to maintain the door in latched position;movable release means for operating the detent means; a blocking membermovable between an out-o-f-the-way position and an operative pos'tion inwhich it blocks movement of said release means; yieldable means urgingsaid blocking member toward its out-of-the-way position; operating meanson the door for moving said blocking member to its operative positionagainst the force of said yieldable means; and an actuating member onthe door connected with said operating means and engageable with andmovable by a vehicle body portion when the door is closed to render saidoperating means ineffective.

2. Latching apparatus for a vehicle door, comprising: a striker mountedon the vehicle body; a latch on the door having a movable boltengageable with the striker and detent means for holding the boltagainst release movement to maintain the door in latched position;movable release means for operating the detent means; a handle connectedto the movable release means for unlatching the door; a blocking membermovable between an out-of-the-way position and an operative position inwhich it blocks movement of said release means and renders said handleineffective to unlatch the door; yieldable means urging said blockingmember toward its outof-the-way position; operating means on the doorfor moving said blocking member to its operative position against theforce of said yicldable means; and an actuat ing member on the doorconnected with said operating means and engageable with an movable by avehicle body portion when the door is closed to render said operatingmeans ineffective.

3. Latching apparatus for a vehicle door, comprising: a striker mountedon the vehicle body; a latch on the door having a movable boltengageable with the striker and detent means for holding the boltagainst release movement to maintain the door in latched position;movable release means for operating the detent means; a handle connectedto the movable release means for unlatching the door; a blocking memberpivotally mounted on the door for movement between an out-of-the-wayposition and an operative position in which it blocks movement of saidrelease means to render said handle ineffective to unlatch the door; aspring yieldably urging said blocking member toward its out-of-the-wayposition; operating means on the door for moving said blocking member toits operative position against the force of said spring; and anactuating member on the door connected 5 with said operating means andengageable with and movable -by a vehicle body portion when the door isclosed to render said operating means inefiective.

4. Latching apparatus for a vehicle door, comprising: a striker mountedon the vehicle body; a latch on the door having a movable boltengageable with the striker and a detent for holding the bolt againstrelease move ment to maintain the door in latched position; movable trelease means for operating the detent; a blocking member pivotallymounted on the door for movement between an out-of-the-way position andan operative position in which it blocks movement of said release means;a first spring urging said blocking member toward its out-ofthe-wayposition; operating means on the door including a second spring which isstronger than said first spring for moving said blocking member to itsoperative position against the force of said first spring; and anactuating member on the door connected with said operating means andengageable with an movable by a vehicle body portion when the door isclosed to render said operating means ineffective.

5. Latching apparatus for a vehicle door, comprising: a striker mountedon the vehicle body; a latch on the door having a movable boltengageable with the striker and a detent for holding the bolt againstrelease movement to maintain the door in latched position; a releaselever adapted to operate the detent; a handle connected to the releaselever for moving said lever to unlatch the door; a blocking memberpivotally mounted on the door for movement between an out-of-the-wayposition and an operative position in which it blocks movement of saidrelease lever; a first spring connected to said blocking member andurging said blocking member toward its outof-the-way position; operatingmeans on the door for moving said blocking member to its operativeposition against the force of said first spring comprising a secondspring which is stronger than said first spring and an operating leverconnected to said second spring and adapted to engage said blockingmember; and an actuating membar on the door connected to said operatinglever and enable with and movable by a vehicle body portion when thedoor is closed to render said operating means inefiective.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,751,242 Priestman June 19, 1956 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICECERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No, 2,864,639 December 16, 1958 StanleyD, Cockburn et ala in the printed specification It is hereby certifiedthat error appears on and that the said Letters of the above numberedpatent requiring correcti Patent should read as corrected below.

line 19 for "with an",'each occurrence,

Column 4, line 5'7, and column 5,

for "enable" 'r'ead engageable read with and column 6, line 17,

Signed and sealed this 28th day of July 1959,

(SEAL) Attest:

KARL H. AXLINE Attesting Oflicer ROBERT C. WATSON Commissioner ofPatents

